Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) is engaging primary and secondary schools; and institutions of higher learning on payment of taxes, tax collector Commissioner-General Faith Mazani has revealed during a tax seminar at the University of Zimbabwe today.
The Commissioner General speaking at a seminar which is running under the theme “Catch them young” said student as the future anchor of Zimbabwe’s economy need to have a strong appreciation of how the success of economies the world over is hinged on tax compliance by citizens.
“The young generation are definitely going to be the decision makers of tomorrow. They are going to start companies and businesses,” Mazani said.
“To this end, it is important that they know the tax obligations associated with running businesses or just by being an employee – you still have to contribute to the fiscus. And on our part we believe wengaging them at an early age will help in building the trust which should always exist between the Authority and its valued clients.”
The Commissioner General went on to say that ZIMRA is scheduled to hold tax seminars at all university to engage the students on the payment of taxes.
“We are so sure that with this kind of engagement, we will be able to demystify some misconceptions that people have about ZIMRA,” Mazani said.
“We are going to dispel the fears and anxiety that the people have about ZIMRA.”
“You can agree with me that generally, the Taxman is seen as an enemy and it is also our effort through such seminars, to dispel such myths and educate everyone in Zimbabwe on the importance of taxation,” explained Mazani.
ZIMRA’s past history is marred with allegations of corruption.
The taxman signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) in an effort to end malpractice in the organisation.
